


Legend of Zelda: Four Sides

by FangirlOfPower



Series: Sanders Sides Fics [19]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Based on the Four Swords manga, Deceit replaces Shadow, Don't copy to another site, Gen, I wrote a story but at what cost, Logan replaces Vio, Patton replaces Red, Roman replaces Blue, Thomas is Link, Valerie is Zelda, Virgil replaces Green
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2019-10-28 20:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17794013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlOfPower/pseuds/FangirlOfPower
Summary: Thomas and Valerie are best friends. Always have been, always will be! Even though Valerie's the princess of ALL of Hyrule, which is a pretty big place in Thomas's opinion.But something's wrong somewhere in Hyrule. And, like usual, Thomas seems to be a magnet for trouble.Now there are four-technically-five of him. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?





	1. Four Thomases

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on the MANGA  
> Some of the dialogue is copied straight out from the manga and some scenes I've added in that weren't in the original. And YES I know some of the lore is WRONG. Just DEAL WITH IT, okay?

Thomas walks through the streets of Castle Town, sword slung over his shoulder. He’s just going stargazing, but if he’s learned anything from his adventures, it’s to always be prepared. Of course, that’s also his anxiety, but he doesn’t talk about that. What kind of hero has anxiety? Thomas, the famous left handed hero, that’s who. Thomas, the famous hero, who’s just a kid with anxiety and a magnet for trouble.  
  
Thomas thinks about what just happened and sighs, kicking a rock. There had been bandits at one of the shops at the edge of town. He knows he should have waited for his father and the rest of the knights, but he was right there nearby. And he usually does work better alone. Honest! He kicks another rock as he reaches the gates. He climbs up the wall, jumping onto the ledge of a nearby window and pulling himself up. He clambers over the wall and drops down, careful not to hurt himself.  
  
Thomas walks over to one of the nearby fields, sitting down in the cool grass. He sets his sword aside, looking up at the stars. He lays down on the grass, the slight dampness of the dew soaking into his clothes. He traces the constellations in his mind, drawing imaginary lines with his fingers. He sets his hand on his chest, the other brushing through the dew-covered strands. It brushes against something taller than grass and Thomas sits up to look over. It’s a flower. A wildflower. Thomas smiles. Wildflowers. He’ll have to pick some for Valerie tomorrow morning. It’s getting really late and he should be heading home. He walks back home, smiling. Wildflowers.  
  
Valerie is going to love them.  
  


* * *

  
The sky is a beautiful shade of blue today. There are some clouds, but not too many. The midday sun shines bright, but it’s not to hot. There’s a slight breeze blowing through the air.  
  
Thomas’s father stands in the throne room, speaking to the princess. “What are we to do with Thomas? He’s skilled, but he doesn’t listen to anyone. Not even me, his captain and his father! The only person he listens to is you. Won’t you help, princess Valerie?”  
  
Valerie smiles kindly at her friend’s father. “Thomas is a lot like you, Captain. He’ll be a great knight one day.”  
  
Thomas’s father bows slightly. “Thank you for this.”  
  
Valerie excuses him and he leaves. She sits there in silence for a moment before standing and looking behind the curtains behind her throne. “He’s gone,” she says.  
  
Thomas steps out. “Finally! I thought he’d never leave!” He crosses his arms. “Honestly, he treats me like a kid.”  
  
“We are kids,” Valerie reminds him.  
  
“Yeah, I know. But still! ‘Don’t do this! Don’t do that!’ I’m a hero!” Thomas spreads his arms wide for emphasis. “I’ve defeated bad guys all on my own!”  
  
Valerie sighs and shakes her head with a small smile. “He’s your captain on top of being your father. Can’t you try to obey? Even if it’s just a little?”  
  
Thomas smiles. “Okay, I’ll TRY.” Valerie smiles too, rolling her eyes. Thomas grins. “Anyways, look!” He shows Valerie the flowers he picked earlier. “I went and got you these today!”  
  
“Oh, they’re beautiful!” Valerie takes them from him., looking at the white blossoms. “Are the wildflowers blooming already?”  
  
“Yeah,” Thomas says. He smiles. “Remember when we used to go and play in the fields all day? Now you’re always too busy to even come out and see them.”  
  
“That’s okay,” Valerie says, taking a large sniff of the wonderful scent. “I might not be able to see all of Hyrule in person, but when you bring me things from outside the walls, I can see it all.” She looks at Thomas, smiling. Thomas smiles back.  
  
“We are ready, Princess Valerie.” Thomas and Valerie look up to see six women in six different colors. The colors of the rainbow.  
  
“Thank you, handmaidens,” Valerie says. She looks at Thomas. “Come with us, Thomas. We’re going to check on the seal of the Four Sword.”  
  
“The seal?” Thomas asks.. “Why now?”  
  
“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Valerie says. She starts walking and Thomas follows her and the Maidens. He can’t help but to admire their dresses. So pretty. Valerie notices and Thomas looks away. She smiles. “Don’t be embarrassed, Thomas,” she says. “We all know you like the rainbow.”  
  
Thomas blushes slightly. It’s no secret to anyone that Thomas is obsessed with the colors of the rainbow. Almost all of his clothing is rainbow colored. It took him weeks, but he even made his boots purple. Today he’s wearing his red undershirt, orange tunic, yellow belt, and pale green tights. His purple boots have blue straps. He’s pretty much a walking rainbow. “I know,” Thomas says.”I just think their dresses are pretty.”  
  
“And you like the colors,” Valerie says with a smile.  
  
“And I like the colors,” Thomas admits sheepishly. They soon reach the shrine to make the opening to the seal and he stands up straight. “So why are we here?”  
  
The Maidens take their places and Valerie sighs. She looks at Thomas. “Last night, I had a dream of evil,” she says. “A large black cloud approaching Hyrule. Something bad is coming. Maybe he’s returning.”  
  
Thomas gasps. “It can’t be him! That demon was slain years ago!”  
  
The two know the story. Long ago, the evil wind mage Vaati cast a pall of darkness and fear over all of Hyrule. A single hero appeared to rescue the maidens he kidnapped. When he drew his sword, the magically split into four. Together the four heroes trapped Vaati and all his demons below a stone seal. The seal is hidden in a temple somewhere in Hyrule and held in place with the magical weapon called the four sword. Thomas doesn’t want to think about what would happen if the seal was broken and Vaati escaped. He looks at Valerie.  
  
Valerie steeples her fingers, looking at the center of the shrine. “I’m scared something is wrong at the Four Sword sanctuary. We can’t let Vaati escape!” She closes her eyes and so do the six Maidens. Thomas steps back, not wanting to intrude. The shrine begins to glow.  
  
Thomas grips his sword tightly. Could Vaati come back? He narrows his eyes. Well, let the stupid demon try! Thomas will fight him so strongly that he’d wish he was still trapped in the ground!  
  
One of the Maidens, the blue one, gasps and opens her eyes. The one next to her opens her eyes and looks at her. “Hm?” The Blue Maiden vanishes in a flash of light. “The Blue Maiden!” The others start doing the same. “Princess Valerie!” They all disappear, leaving Thomas and Valerie alone. Thomas reaches for Valerie, pulling her closer to him.  
  
The torches around them flicker and go out, shrouding Thomas and Valerie in darkness. There’s a crackle at the center of the shrine, flickering with a ghostly white light. “Stay behind me!” Thomas says, pushing Valerie behind him. He holds his sword up but he hasn’t drawn it yet. The light turns into a deep purple, a pillar of darkness rising from the shrine. It pops and crackles, the light fading into a faint glow. Something starts to form inside the column. Thomas’s grip tightens on his sword. “A demon!” The pillar collapses, sending dust flying. Thomas covers his eyes then looks up. His eyes widen.  
  
It’s… It’s him. But… Not. Thomas’s copy’s hair is pitch black and he’s extremely pale. His tunic is black and his undershirt and tights are white. His belt is silver. His boots are black. His copy has a grayscale copy of his sword and his shield. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet, but Thomas assumes they’re either silver or black.  
  
Thomas gets ready to draw his sword. “Who…” His voice cracks and he clears his throat. “Who are you?!”  
  
His copy chuckles darkly and opens his eyes. His eyes aren’t silver or black. They’re two different colors. The right eye is gold and the left is green. “Aw, are you scared of your shadow, Thomas?” Something flickers in his mismatched eyes.  
  
“N-no!” Thomas says.  
  
His copy sneers. “You should be.”  
  
“Who are you?!” Thomas yells.  
  
His copy smirks. “I’m the hero, Thomas…”  
  
“What?!” Thomas yells. His copy chuckles and Thomas draws his sword. “Stupid demon!” He runs forward and slashes at his copy. His copy doesn’t even try to dodge it. Thomas’s sword goes right through him. “What the-?!” The copy grins at him, revealing fangs. He dashes past Thomas and Thomas realizes that he left Valerie unprotected. “Valerie!”  
  
“Thomas!” Valerie reaches towards him but his demonic copy wraps his arms around her. Darkness swirls around the three of them.  
  
“Valerie!” Thomas reaches out to her but his copy disappears before their fingers can touch. He feels himself being pulled backwards. “Woah!” He drops his sword and is pulled into a vortex of wind. The sudden change of air pressure makes him blackout.  
  


* * *

  
  
Thomas groans, waking up. He pushes himself up and looks around. “Where am I?” He notices a sword inside a pedestal. He gasps and stands. “Where’s Valerie?! Valerie!” He looks around, running across the grass covered ground. “Valerie! Princess Valerie!” He knows calling Valerie’s name isn’t going to do anything, the Shadow Thomas took her. Thomas looks over at the sword and walks over to examine it. He kneels, tracing the designs on the handle. He already had a feeling he knows where he is, but the inscription confirms it. He’s in the sanctuary of the Four Sword. Thomas reaches for his own sword before remembering that he dropped in when he was in the wind tunnel. His eyes widen. “Valerie said something bad was going to happen! And now she’s been kidnapped! By… Me? Evil me? Dark weird shadow me?” Thomas runs his fingers through his hair. “I’ve got to save her!” He reaches for the Four Sword and pauses. “I need a sword, but… If I take the Four Sword, I’ll break the seal and Vaati and his demons will escape!” Thomas looks over across the fields. “I don’t really have a choice though, do I? I need to rescue Valerie!” He wraps his hand around the hilt and takes a deep breath. “Here goes nothing,” he closes his eyes and pulls the sword out of the seal.  
  
There’s a strange and strong tugging inside Thomas and he gasps in surprise. The tugging gets stronger and Thomas feels like he’s being pulled apart.  
  
And suddenly there are four hands wrapped around the hilts of four swords. And suddenly there are four Thomases wearing four different colors, staring at each other in confusion.  
  
The one in purple says, “What the-?!”  
  
The one in red says, “So the story…”  
  
The one in blue continues his sentence. “...About how the person who has the sword will split into four…”  
  
The one in indigo finishes, “...It’s true!”  
  
They stare at each other and the purple one rubs the back of his head. “It’s, uh, kinda weird, uh, seeing three other people with… My… Face…”  
  
“It’s my face too,” the red one mumbles.  
  
The blue one taps his face. “Why do I have glasses? I don’t need glasses.” He takes them off then immediately puts them back on. “Oh, I do need glasses!”  
  
“Why would we need glasses?” The indigo one takes his off then blinks. “Oh dear.” He puts them back on. “This is strange. I’ve never needed glasses before.”  
  
“Hey!” Red Thomas says. “Four Thomases means four times the awesomeness! We’ll be able to rescue Valerie easily like this!” He grins cockily. “Great!”  
  
“I’m excited!” Blue Thomas says. “This is gonna be fun!” The stones around them start to shake and they look around. Wind starts to whistle around them. Something bursts out of the ground and Blue Thomas stumbles back. “Woah!” Red Thomas catches him before he falls over.  
  
A large giant made of stone is being assembled. Purple Thomas tightens his grip on his sword. “What the heck is that?!”  
  
“It might be Vaati,” Indigo Thomas answers.  
  
The giant groans then laughs. “Free!” It looks down at them. “I’m free at last! How many centuries has it been?!”  
  
“It can’t be that demon!” Red Thomas says.  
  
“I did break the seal,” Blue Thomas tells him.  
  
“I broke the seal!” Red Thomas yells.  
  
“Now’s not the time to argue about which one of us broke the seal!” Purple Thomas yells. “Now’s the time to fix it.” He leaps forward and slices at Vaati’s arm. His sword cut clean through and he stumbles when he lands, almost falling over. “Woah! Did you see that?!” He looks at the sword in his hands. “Holy crap, this thing is powerful.” There’s a sudden suction of air through Vaati’s hollow arm and Purple Thomas barely has time to grab hold of a large boulder before he gets sucked in. “Woah!”  
  
“His arm just grew back!” Red Thomas says. “What do we do now?!”  
  
“His arm grew back by itself,” Indigo Thomas notices. “What if we cut all of his limbs off at the same time?” He jumps forward but Red Thomas does the same in his direction and the two collide midair. “Hey!”  
  
“Watch where you’re going!” Red Thomas yells.  
  
“Guys, we have to work together!” Purple Thomas tells them. “We have to be a team!”  
  
“How do we do that?” Blue Thomas asks. “I’ve never really been on a team before!” Vaati reaches towards him and he shrieks, dodging away. He swings his sword blindly and slices off Vaati’s hand. “And this is a really rocky way to start out!” The hand grows back.  
  
“Did you just make a pun?!” Indigo Thomas slashes his sword through Vaati’s leg only for more stones to take its place.  
  
“Sorry, I make puns when I’m nervous!”  
  
“You’ve existed for five minutes!”  
  
Vaati takes a deep breath in. The wind whips around them, a vacuum sucking towards Vaati’s strange gaping mouth. The four grip the sturdy stones around them, struggling to stay put. A large rock smashes into Red Thomas’s face and he cries out in pain, almost losing his grip. The wind keeps pulling at them.  
  
“He’s going to breathe us in!” Indigo Thomas yells.  
  
Something white zips past them and time seems to slow. A wildflower. The same kind Thomas gave Valerie not even an hour earlier. They can’t let Vaati kill them, not when they still have to save Valerie! Suddenly united in their go, they all know what to do. They let go of their rocks in unison. When they’re close enough to, they strike out with their swords and Vaati’s body shatters.  
  
His stone head hits the ground and Purple Thomas yells, “Now!” Red Thomas is closest and he slashes his sword downward and smashes the head. Wind swirls out of it, knocking Red Thomas off his feet. Purple Thomas helps him stand back up.  
  
“Was that Vaati?” Blue Thomas asks. “Did we beat him already?”  
  
“He is a wind mage,” Indigo Thomas points out. “That likely wasn’t his true form.”  
  
“So we have to fight him again?” Blue Thomas says. “But I don’t want to fight!”  
  
“We’ll figure it out!” Red Thomas tells him.  
  
In the shadow of a still standing wall, Shadow Thomas stands. He chuckles softly, mischief glinting in his mismatched eyes. “Vaati is reborn! Thank you so much, Thomas. The next time someone will get buried, it will be you!” As he listens to the four Thomases talking, he grins. “The fact that there are now four of you will only make that task easier!” He fades into the shadows, disappearing with a short burst of darkness, his laughter lingering a second longer than he does.


	2. The Fall of Hyrule Castle

The four Thomases run through the fields of Hyrule. “If the legend is right,” Purple Thomas says, “Vaati wants to rule Hyrule! He’ll kill Valerie to take her place! We have to get to the castle!”  
  
Darkness spreads across the sky and they look up. The sky starts to be covered with dark clouds. Blue Thomas reaches out for the closest person, wrapping a hand around Purple Thomas’s arm. “What’s that?”  
  
“The cloud of darkness,” Indigo Thomas says. “It’s starting.”  
  
“We have to hurry!” Red Thomas yells.  
  
Something swoops overhead and they look up to see monsters. Dragons. “His demons!” Purple Thomas yells. “We have to hurry!”  
  
Up above them on the back of a dragon, Shadow Thomas crouches, grinning. He looks down at them before speeding away to Hyrule Castle. He laughs. “Fly faster, dark ones! Time to tear down Hyrule Castle!”  
  
The clouds descend over the castle, guards looking out at the darkness. “What’s that black shadow?” The guards look up at a loud thud.  
  
A dragon looks at them and growls. They barely have time to run before the dragon breathes fire at them. A sword slashes through the air, severing the head. Thomas’s father yells, “The seal must have been broken! Don’t let them take the castle!” He runs to the castle, cutting through monsters. “Princess Valerie!” He slams open the doors to the throne room. “Princess, are you alright?!” He gasps, eyes widening. The throne room is a mess, throne tossed aside and curtains torn. Thomas sits slumped against the dias, blood pooling around him. His sword rests in his loosely gripped hand, his shield nowhere to be seen. Thomas’s father drops his sword. “Thomas!” He runs forward, scooping Thomas up in his arms. “What happened to you?” Thomas’s breathing is extremely shallow and getting weaker. “You tried to fight alone again, didn’t you?” Thomas’s head lolls sideways. “Please!” He holds Thomas close. “Gods of Hyrule, save his life! Take mine if you have to, but spare his!”  
  
A dark chuckle. “My, my, what a caring father.” Thomas’s father’s eyes widen and he looks down at Shadow Thomas. Shadow Thomas smirks. “It’s so touching I could cry.” He grins and strikes out, pressing his hands against the adult’s skin. Thomas’s father dissolves into shadow, armor crashing to the ground. Shadow Thomas chuckles, standing. “Welcome to the Dark World.”  
  


* * *

  
  
The four Thomases run through Hyrule, clambering over rocks. “Can we take a break?” Blue Thomas complains. “I’m tired!”  
  
“We don’t have time! Castle Town should just be across the river!” Purple Thomas says. “We need to tell my dad about this!”  
  
“He’s our dad too,” Indigo Thomas says.  
  
“Before we go farther, we need to make a decision!” Blue Thomas says.  
  
“About what?” Red Thomas asks.  
  
“Names! We need to have names!” Blue Thomas stops walking, deciding to take a break anyway. The others do as well. “We can’t all be Thomas,” he continues. “It’ll be too confusing!”  
  
“What do you suggest?” Purple Thomas asks.  
  
“Well, we’re all wearing different colors,” Blue Thomas says. “So how about that? I’m wearing blue, so I’ll be Blue! You’ll be Red. You’ll be Purple, hm, Violet. No, that’s a girl name, how about Vi? And you’ll be, uh, what’s the color between blue and purple… Plue?”  
  
“Plue?” Indigo Thomas repeats. “It’s indigo.”  
  
“Indigo then. Or how about just Indy? There we go!” Blue grins. “I’m so smart!”  
  
“Hey!” Red says. “You can’t change someone’s name like that!”  
  
“But it’s easier,” Blue says. “What would you rather we do?”  
  
“I’m Thomas! You guys can call each other silly names.” Red gestures at himself. “I’m obviously the main Thomas!”  
  
“Technically none of us really can be, none of us are wearing Thomas’s orange tunic,” Indy says.  
  
Red looks down at himself. “But red is the closest to orange out of all of us!”  
  
“But I have Thomas’s purple boots,” Vi says.  
  
Red blinks. “Well, I guess I’ll have to take them! Hand them over!” He runs after Vi.  
  
“Woah!” Vi runs then gets cornered quickly. He turns and grabs Red when he reaches him. “You shouldn’t do this! We’re all Thomas!” When Red doesn’t calm down, Vi flips him. “Stop!”  
  
Blue watches Red and Vi fighting and tips his head. “If we’re all the same person, why are we so different?”  
  
Indy breaks up the fight between Red and Vi, Red now sporting another bruise on his face, just above the one he got from the rock. “I think we all represent parts of my, um, Thomas’s personality. Vi seems to be his instinct, his fight or flight response.”  
  
“So I’m his anxiety,” Vi says. “Thanks.”  
  
“That’s not what I said. Red is his passion.”  
  
“Darn right am I passion!”  
  
“Blue is his heart,” Indy finishes.  
  
“Oh! And you’re um, his smarts?” Blue asks.  
  
“His logic, yes.” Movement draws Indy’s attention. “Hmm?”  
  
Someone is clambering up the rocks, a small child in tow. “That’s…” Red begins.  
  
“...Arcy…” Indy says.  
  
“...The castle cook,” Vi finishes.  
  
“Hey! Arcy!” Blue calls.  
  
The four run forward. “Hey!” Indy says. “We can’t all go at once! We’ll scare her!”  
  
“Arcy! Thank goodness!” Vi says. “We got lost trying to-”  
  
Arcy and the child shriek, the child hiding behind her. Arcy holds up a stick. “Stay back, monsters! How did you find us all the way out here?!”  
  
“Monsters?” Blue repeats. “That’s a little mean.”  
  
“All the way back here?” Indy repeats.  
  
“Arcy, what are you talking about?” Vi says. “We just drew the Four Sword and split into four. We’re all still Thomas.”  
  
“I thought you were a good kid!” Arcy says. “But after what you did, you’re a demon for sure!”  
  
“What did we do?” Red mutters.  
  
“Wait, do you mean the dark and shadowy Thomas?” Indy asks.  
  
Vi gasps and grabs Arcy’s arms. “The castle! Arcy, what happened at Hyrule Castle?!”  
  


* * *

  
  
The sky isn’t blue anymore, instead a dreary shade of grey. There are clouds blanketing it, casting shadows. The sun makes the clouds glow, but just faintly. The castle and Castle Town are in ruins, stones strewn across the ground. The wind whistles through the streets.  
  
“All of this destruction,” Vi mummers. “And in less than a day.”  
  
“Where is everyone?” Blue asks. “It feels like Castle Town’s been abandoned for years, not a day.”  
  
“They likely ran like Arcy,” Indy says. “Most of the townspeople wouldn’t have tried to fight. Most of them don’t have training. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to stand their ground against demons and monsters.”  
  
“What about the ones who did, like the other knights?” Red says. “And where are the monsters, anyway?”  
  
“I… I don’t know,” Indy says. “And that’s very frustrating.”  
  
“Maybe we should stay quiet,” Vi says. “So we don’t-” The clanging of metal reaches their ears. They look around, but see nothing. It goes quiet again. “...Attract attention,” Vi finishes.  
  
“That sounded like it came from inside the castle!” Blue says. “Maybe we will meet up with the other guards and Dad!” He runs ahead.  
  
“Blue!” Vi yells. “We have to stick together!” He runs after him, the other two following him.  
  
Blue stops in the entrance hall. “There’s no one here. That’s weird.”  
  
“Blue, we need to stick together,” Indy says. “We don’t know what could be here.”  
  
“Nothing,” Blue says. “There’s nothing here.”  
  
Clanging again. Someone in armor walks into the room. They recognize the armor. It’s Artura’s armor. The top knight. Is it him? Is he being controlled? Or… He swings his sword, Blue and Indy barely avoiding being hit. Or is it even him? And suddenly there are knights everywhere, surrounding them. “Stop!” Vi yells. “You’re our friends, we don’t want to hurt you!”  
  
The knights attack and the four defend themselves. And three of the four act on the principle of ‘the best defense is a good offense.’ Blue, on the other hand, blocks the blows with his still sheathed sword. He gets pushed back a bit. “Blue, what are you doing?” Indy yells. “Fight back or they’ll hurt you!”  
  
Blue blocks another blow. “But what if they’re just being controlled?” He dodges sideways. “These are our friends! I can’t hurt them!”  
  
Red pushes Blue sideways before he can get stabbed and slashes at the guard. “That doesn’t matter now! We have to fight! Do you want to die?!”  
  
The four are backed against the wall. Then the guards stop moving. Blue lets out a sigh of relief. Footsteps echo through the room, a person walking out of the darkness. He chuckles. “Well then…” Shadow tips his head, heterochromatic eyes glittering in the near darkness. “Your concern for your friends is admirable. But don’t worry, they’re just my toys.” He snaps and the suits of armor collapse, dissolving into shadows. He puts his arms behind his back. “You’re late. I was getting tired of waiting.”  
  
“What have you done with Princess Valerie?!” Vi yells, holding his sword close.  
  
Shadow tips his head. “The princess? Carrying her off was hard. She’s quite stubborn. And quite strong.” Shadow turns his head and gestures at the bruise on his face that parallels Red’s. “Didn’t think she had it in her.”  
  
“That’s Valerie for you,” Red says with a smirk.  
  
“Regardless, this is for you.” Shadow pulls something out of his pocket and tosses it to the four. Valerie’s charm clatters against the ground. “If she obeys, I won’t hurt her,” Shadow says. “But soon darkness will win and she’ll become one of us.”  
  
“Who are you?” Blue asks. “One of Vaati’s demon minions?”  
  
Shadow chuckles. “I already told you. I’m the hero, Thomas. I’m your shadow. Your reflection in the Dark World.”  
  
“What does that even mean?” Vi asks.  
  
Shadow ignores Vi’s question. “The wind mage Vaati is awake and blowing dark energy into this world. When he’s completely reborn, the Dark World will replace yours and the noble Princess Valerie of the Hyrulean royal family will be sacrificed.”  
  
“Never!” Red yells. “He points his sword at Shadow. “I’ll defeat you and the darkness with the power of the Four Sword!” The other three say agreements.  
  
Shadow raises an eyebrow and folds his arms, unimpressed. He laughs, shaking his head. “You believe the Four Sword can beat me? Darkness taints that sword. Swing it and I win.”  
  
“That’s ridiculous!” Red yells. He runs forward and swings. A sword appears in Shadow’s hand and he swings in retaliation. Red gets blasted backward and hits the ground. Mist rolls off him. Blue helps him stand.  
  
“Now do you get it?” Shadow asks.  
  
“Wait!” Vi says. “What happened to the people in the castle and my dad?”  
  
Shadow purses his lips. “Your dad? Oh, I sent them all to the Dark World as one happy family.” Shadow gestures slightly outward. “He was so weak! He begged for his life, begging for me to spare him!”  
  
Vi’s fists tighten around his sword. “You dirty liar!”  
  
Shadow smirks. “You don’t know the half of it.” Vi swings at him and the blade goes through Shadow. Shadows hops up into the air, leaning back. “I told you it won’t work against me.” He looks down at the four, folding his arms. “Look at you, four fools trying to save the world.”  
  
Blue sniffles at being called a fool and Red growls. “You’re a coward!” Red yells. “Hiding in the shadows! Why don’t you act like one and fade away!”  
  
That was the wrong thing to say. Shadow’s eyes narrow angrily and he swings his sword, zapping Red and knowing him off his feet. “Don’t ever MOCK the shadows!” Shadow yells, feet touching the ground. Air swirls around him. “You think they’re weak and insubstantial!” Mist curls around him, coming from him. “Do I LOOK weak to you?! Let me show you the true power of darkness!” He slashes his sword and shadow blasts from it, illuminated only by a faint purple glow. It knocks all four off their feet.  
  
Vi struggles to his feet. “Four Sword,” he mumbles, “lend me your strength. Just as in legend, give us…” He trails off as Shadow approaches him.  
  
“Don’t you get it?” Shadow says. “It’s just a sword! And you’re nothing! I’M the hero now!” Shadow raises his sword to swing at Vi.  
  
Vi gasps and instinctively closes his eyes tight, preparing for the hit. A bright flash fills the room. “What’s that?” Vi asks, squinting.  
  
Shadow stumbles back, away from the blue fairy that appeared from nowhere. He drops his sword to block his face. “Ah! S-stop… Stop it!” He trips over himself, falling into the shadows of the dark room. The fairy zips around the four, teleporting them somewhere. Shadow takes shaky breaths, dropping more shadows around himself. He winces, rubbing his wrists. “The Maidens?” Shadow says to himself. “I guess even sealed they must still have some power.” He clicks his tongue. “How lucky for those fools…” He tries to stand but hisses in pain, shaking, staying seated. “Light… I hate the light…”  
  


* * *

  
  
The four zoom through something before landing softly on their feet. They look around. They’re inside a circular room with a domed ceiling, light faintly coming from somewhere. “Are we… Inside the castle?” Indy asks.  
  
A bright flash. “Are you well, heroes?”  
  
“The Blue Maiden… Trapped in a crystal!” Vi says. “Did YOU save us?”  
  
The Blue Maiden nods. “Thomas, something awful has begun. A terrible ordeal. Darkness once again covers Hyrule, just as in times of legend. The shadow that took us was a phantom hero created by the evil demon. It is a ‘Shadow Thomas,’ a dark reflection of you, but more powerful than any mere shadow. It took all my might to send even that small light through the barrier. His power is not yet at its peak. You must stop him before that happens.”  
  
Blue slumps over slightly. “We’re no match for him NOW,” he says. “How can we ever beat him?”  
  
Red raises his sword. “First we smash the barrier!”  
  
“No, that’s impossible right now,” the Blue Maiden tells him.  
  
“Huh?” Blue asks.  
  
“The Four Sword has been curse by Vaati and lost its power,” the Blue Maiden continues. “You must re-energize it! Fill it will force and the curse will be lifted. Then you can defeat the darkness.”  
  
“Blue Maiden, where is Princess Valerie?” Vi asks. “Is she okay?”  
  
“I don’t know,” the Blue Maiden answers. “Weak as I am, I can’t sense her clearly. But I can faintly sense her spirit… Far, far away.”  
  
“She’s alive!” Red says. “That’s enough for now.”  
  
“Hold on, Blue Maiden,” Vi says. “We’ll come back to save you soon.”  
  
“Be careful, my four heroes,” she tells them. “East… Travel toward the Eastern Sea. I sense another Maiden within the Eastern Temple.”  
  
The four leave the room and travel upstairs to the armory, hiding from Shadow. Each needs a shield, and it’s too risky to find Thomas’s. Once they arrive, they quickly grab shields and leave the castle. They head out into the fields that were so cheerful and sunny that morning.  
  
“She said go east, right?” Vi asks Indy.  
  
“She did.”  
  
“Okay, just checking.”  
  
Blue sighs deeply. “Losing confidence?” Indy asks him.  
  
Blue looks over at him, surprised. “Yeah! How’d you know that?”  
  
“Because I am you,” Indy replies. “At least, close enough to you.”  
  
“We’re each the same, ot close enough copies,” Vi says. “We’re all careless and overconfident. Some of us more than others.” He looks at Red, who huffs indignantly. “If that Dark name, Shadow Thomas, whatever we call him, if he’s our shadow, we need to be better to beat him. Maybe a bit more like…” Vi trails off. They all know who he’s talking about. Their father.  
  
“I’d give us a fifty/fifty chance right now,” Indy says with a small smirk.  
  
“But if we restore the Four Sword, we’ll get stronger!” Blue says. “And we can learn some teamwork!”  
  
“I don’t care what it takes, we’re gonna do it!” Red says.  
  
“So we’ve decided,” Vi says. “We’re four Thomases, but one team.”  
  
“Let’s go!” Red says as an addition, not a rude one, an excited one.  
  
“Yay!” Blue says.  
  
The four start off on their adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is on an indeterminable hiatus, as I won't have access to the manga for a long time.


End file.
